14 Nov 2019 | 4 mins

Summer is coming, my friends. Yep, for the beach bums out there, it’s that time of year where your concerns about global warming are directly challenged by that little voice in your head which says, “I wish it was 30 degrees every day of the year”.

But not all of us are like that. If you spend every summer holed up in your living room with the air-con full blast and all the doors and windows strictly closed to avoid any of that delightful cold air from escaping – maybe you should think about getting away for the summer.

Unfortunately, if you’re after the winter-wonderland style of weather, you’re not gonna find much to work within Australia. Even Hobart averages over 20 degrees in January. You’re probs gonna have to get yourself overseas.

Canada

If you want a winter wonderland, then Canada’s got you covered. It’s got it all. Imagine waking up on Christmas morning to a gentle downfall of super soft snowflakes turning your backyard into something out of a Disney movie. Sounds dreamy, right?

For those who like the cold but still wanna be getting outdoors and staying active, Canada has a bunch of ski resorts as well. If you’re travelling alone and afraid you might get a bit homesick, Whistler Blackcomb is usually packed full of Aussies through the winter (our summer), so you can be sure to find a jar of Vegemite or a nice thick bogan accent somewhere nearby!

If you’re looking to get away for a while, you could consider a working holiday. JCR Au Pairs sets people up to work with host families throughout Canada for up to two years at a time!

Japan

Sometimes, flying across the equator just to escape the heat can seem a bit dramatic. If you’re worried about people catching on to your over-the-top, weather-related ambitions, then maybe Japan is the way to go.

While you could draw many parallels between the cultures of Canada and Australia, if ya looked at how they do things over in Japan you’d end up with more of a right angle. Combine that with the fact that Japan is the snowiest country on Earth (Aomori City is supposed to be the snowiest city on the planet!) and you’ve got yourself a culture-rich, summer-escaping getaway.

South Korea

When you think of winter getaways, you probably don’t think of South Korea, but the host of the 2018 Winter Olympics has a lot more to offer than you’d expect. Between December and March, you could find yourself wrapped up in your warmest clothes, wandering through snow-covered towns with as many cultural curiosities as you’d find in Japan.

South Korea’s great because you have the option to visit towns that don’t cop much snow in winter. So if ice-fishing, hiking, skiing and ice-skating aren’t your thing, you can still find somewhere nice and dry where you can rug up and forget all about your mates back home melting in the blistering Aussie heat.

Europe

I know, just saying “Europe” is a bit vague. But seriously – in January the whole continent is so bloody cold and there’s so much to do that there’s bound to be something for you.

If ya want snow, head to the mountains. Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Finland, Russia, and Sweden all have a bunch of resorts, and that’s just to name some of the main countries that people head to. If you wanna get off the beaten track, some places like Latvia, Bulgaria, and Romania have a handful of resorts as well (and let's be honest, they’ve probs got better snow than we do in Aus).

If you don’t care for snow, then you still have an amazing opportunity to see some of Europe’s most popular cities without the hectic summer crowds. Places like Paris and Barcelona seriously die down through January and February and are often a lot cheaper to visit as well. If ya just followed the classic “Euro Summer” itinerary through the winter months, you’d be avoiding long queues, huge crowds, and drastically up-marked prices on basically every major attraction you could think of.

So there ya go! I know getting out of Australia isn’t always cheap, but if you’re serious about getting out of the heat, then these places are your best bets. So pack ya warmest winter gear, book yourself a flight, and chase that winter.